Obama: Hey Romney, Europe and I go way back — Dear Britain: The White House wants you know that even if Mitt Romney may harbor doubts about your ability to pull off the Olympics, President Barack Obama “has the utmost confidence” in you. In fact, the Obama administration would also like Israel and Poland …

WH's Carney Refuses To Name The Capital Of Israel — White House press secretary Jay Carney is asked by a reporter what is the capital of Israel. — Reporter: What city does this Administration consider to be the capital of Israel? Jerusalem or Tel Aviv?

Oh, Mitt: those Romney gaffes in full — Boobs, blunders, clangers - whatever you call them, Romney likes to drop them. And he's really outdone himself in London — From criticising the biggest sporting event Britain has held in over 40 years, to “looking out of the backside of 10 Downing Street” …

National Income and Product Accounts — Gross Domestic Product, 2nd quarter 2012 (advance estimate); — Revised Estimates: 2009 through First Quarter 2012 — Real gross domestic product — the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States …

In Defense of Chick-Fil-A — Dan Cathy, the president of the fast-food franchise Chick-fil-A, doesn't like same-sex marriage. He believes that “we're inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.”

Money for Nothing — For years, allegedly serious people have been issuing dire warnings about the consequences of large budget deficits — deficits that are overwhelmingly the result of our ongoing economic crisis. In May 2009, Niall Ferguson of Harvard declared that the “tidal wave of debt issuance” …

John Boehner ‘partial to’ Rob Portman for veep — House Speaker John Boehner wants to see another Buckeye in the White House. — Boehner, during an appearance on Fox News' “On The Record with Greta Van Susteren,” said he hoped Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney would choose Ohio Sen. Rob Portman as his running mate.

Noonan: The Dark Night Rises — Everybody knows the culture is poisonous, and nobody expects that to change. — At a screening of “The Dark Knight Rises” the other day on Manhattan's East 86th Street, three cops were posted outside, two in a cruiser and one on a motorcycle.

How to Break NRA's Grip on Politics: Michael R. Bloomberg — By Michael R. Bloomberg 2012-07-26T22:40:00Z — It has been a week since the massacre in Aurora, Colorado. The two major U.S. presidential candidates spent the past week avoiding the subject of whether anything should be done to prevent such shootings from recurring.

Once a Rebel, McCain Now Walks the Party Line — WASHINGTON — As Election Day edges close and most members of Congress yearn to flee Washington, Senator John McCain of Arizona is more present than ever. — Only there is a new iteration of the Republican lawmaker and defeated presidential candidate …

Republican dissidents join forces to form a new IRA — Exclusive: Merged organisation says it is planning to intensify attacks on security forces and other British-related targets — Three of the four main dissident republican terror groups in Northern Ireland are to merge and reclaim …